By Rich Tandler
The Redskins roster that does not balance out the way that typical NFL rosters do. They have seven wide receivers plus Brandon Banks, who is a part-time receiver and full-time kick returner. Five outside linebackers were kept on the roster while only four defensive ends made it. And while it is not unusual for a team to keep eight offensive linemen, the three backups have two players who can only play tackle.
The makeup of the roster has been quite a topic on Twitter ever since it was announced. Fans are wondering if the team will address these imbalances prior to the season opener and if not then, when.
Doing anything before the Giants game seems to be out of the question at this point. We are now through the main preparations for that game and if they were going to bring in another player they would have done so by now.
Another reason for waiting until after Week 1 is that the salaries of veterans with four or more years of service are guaranteed for the season if they are on the roster for the first game. If you are going to sign a veteran off of the street it might be better to wait until next week to give yourself some flexibility if you want to make a move later.
There is less urgency to the situation than many fans may think. Seven of your players are inactive on game days so the Redskins can still handle their game day needs with who they have. For example, like most NFL teams, they will have seven offensive linemen active for a game. Between the two of them they will have to back up all five line positions. There is no particular urgency to getting someone on the roster who would be inactive.
The Redskins could wait until injury forces a move to be made. They may well roll with Erik Cook as the backup for all three interior line positions unless and until someone gets injured and causes them to juggle the roster.
Mike Shanahan and the rest of the coaches like the roster that they have assembled. It seems that they will stick with it for a while.
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